Even as we await the full fallout of one landmark conviction in the U.S. political sphere, another has immediately followed it. Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has become the first child of a sitting president to be convicted of a felony.
Specifically, Hunter Biden has been found guilty on all three felony counts in regards to illegal ownership of a firearm in 2018. The 54-year-old was charged on two counts of lying about his illegal drug use in order to obtain a gun and then a further account for briefly possessing said gun while under the influence of narcotics.
The trial, which took place in the Bidens’ native Wilmington, Delaware on June 11, resulted in the historic conviction after three hours of deliberation from the jury. The next decision that needs to be made: will Hunter Biden be sentenced to jail?
Could Hunter Biden go to jail for his conviction on gun charges?
As he has been found guilty on all three charges, Hunter Biden could theoretically be sentenced to jail for a total of 25 years. Not to mention face a $750,000 fine. However, experts say that he’s unlikely to be hit with a sentence that severe. Most importantly, this is Hunter Biden’s first offense and it is a non-violent crime. Plus, he’s only guilty of owning a single firearm and even then only for a period of 11 days.
Prosecutors also did not attempt to depict the younger Biden as a hardened criminal, instead arguing that Hunter’s mental health and substance abuse struggles led him to make bad choices and careless mistakes. Several of the younger Biden’s exes spoke out in court, testifying that Hunter was addicted to crack cocaine from 2015 to 2019 and that during this period could not be trusted to be truthful.
Nonetheless, it was stressed that Biden had committed a crime and needed to pay the penalty.
“Nobody is above the law,” stated prosecutor Derek Hines, during his opening arguments. “Nobody is allowed to lie, not even Hunter Biden.”
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika has decreed that she will decide upon Hunter’s sentencing at an unspecified later date. While it’s expected that Biden will be hit with fines or probation, a certain amount of jail time is not entirely out of the question. Whatever he is sentenced with, his father Joe Biden has made clear that he will not his use presidential power to pardon his son.
It’s also worth noting that, if Hunter manages to avoid prison this time around, it’s not the end of his troubles. This September, he is due to stand trial in Los Angeles over nine federal tax charges. If he’s found guilty on that occasion as well, he could face up to 17 years in jail.